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Sunday, 7 October 2012

Spots before your eyes - well you do now!

I fell in love with this pattern ever since Cation Designs made it up earlier this year from a recycled sheet. With a lack of recycled sheets which have a suitable pattern on, I saw this dark navy blue spotty fabric in Arthur Toye and decided, yep, that's the one...I also had another reason for making it up - a fancy dress dinner as a conference! The theme was a Night at the Races and I decided this dress would be perfect with a a hat, etc.

Anyway, back to the matter in hand. The pattern is another Vogue pattern (that's two in a row, having never made them up before!) Go steady ol' girl :-) It's the reprinted Vogue 8789, my favourite shape, a fitted bodice and full skirt.

The fabric is a very fine cotton lawn, so I pre-washed it. Good job I did, the selvedge to selvedge width shrank by 6cm!! Help!

Not much spare here, this was the last skirt piece

I extended the bodice by an inch (yes, I use inches and centimetres at the same time and I'm still here!) I just know that an inch is the perfect extra length to add to a bodice. I cut a 16, even though the pattern said I should have cut a 22! Yeah, right, I know I need to lose some weight, but I have never been a size 22 and never will be! What are these pattern companies coming to?

I think it was about $12 a metre and the unfortunately the fabric wasn't printed exactly straight. I tried to match up the fabric on the bodice and skirt, but it didn't really happen. Also due to the shrinkage I ended up cutting some pieces upside down! Oops! Don't get me wrong I don't normally do this, but I kinda decided that it wouldn't show with polka dots!

The back doesn't look too bad (or is it the front?)

Mm, perhaps I could have lined these better, but...

I was going to use my sewing machine to run the gathering stitches through the skirt. And there is a LOT of skirt here, loads of it. I just decided that I'd rather run them through by hand, so I did...

Are we nearly there yet?

Attaching the skirt to the bodice was interesting, there is so much skirt there. On the inside of the skirt the pattern asks for tape to be stitched to stop the waist stretching. I'm not sure I really attached this properly, so I may need to look at this again. In my hurry to finish the dress I also used the blind hem on my machine. I've not made the best job of this, there are bits where I caught too much of the fabric and bits which didn't catch the hem at all. Not the best bit of hemming I've ever done.

I finished it in time before going to the conference (the day before!) I made a mistake with the sleeve facings, I stitched them and then understitched them before clipping the seams. Lesson learned, my facings just don't stay flat. In fact they are a pain!

However, saying that, I actually love this dress, it's comfortable, it fits pretty well, although the waist may be a wee bit big. I love the length and I also love the way the sleeves are cap sleeves, not completely sleeveless. I'm sorely tempted to make another one, as long as I can find some fabric which doesn't cost the earth, seriously this dress takes lots of fabric and it's mainly the skirt! I think it takes about 5 metres or something like that.

I actually took my sewing machine up to the conference with me in order to make a petticoat. Well I kinda made one, but it really needs making again! It did not work and so I'm not showing a picture of it! :-)

Mm, I had thought to use my double needle for my sewing machine, but you can't pull it through, so that was that idea out of the window! :-) It was normal needle and two rows stitched. As you say - phew!

I wish I had known that you were at conference... I have been following your blog for a while. I am another librarian that sews. Dinner was lots of fun and yes, it is amazing what a group of librarians can get up to!